Seeing What We Breathe: Experimental Evidence on Air Pollution Information and Motorcycle Taxi Drivers’ Pollution Aversion Behaviors

Last registered on March 10, 2026

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Seeing What We Breathe: Experimental Evidence on Air Pollution Information and Motorcycle Taxi Drivers’ Pollution Aversion Behaviors
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0018048
Initial registration date
March 05, 2026

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
March 10, 2026, 10:25 AM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

Region

Primary Investigator

Affiliation
World Bank Group

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Affiliation
World Bank Group

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2025-07-12
End date
2026-12-31
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
A growing body of evidence shows that air pollution information can induce protective behaviors, yet few studies have focused on high-exposure populations in developing economies, particularly those affected on the roads. This study provides experimental evidence on the impact of granular air pollution information on the behavior of motorcycle taxi drivers in Nairobi, Kenya, an occupation with high on-the-job exposure. We conduct a randomized controlled trial (RCT) with Boda motorcycle drivers in Nairobi. Participants are randomized into four groups: a control group; a treatment group receiving information on the potential harms of pollution (Awareness); a second treatment group receiving access to an interactive, street-level air pollution map (Street-Level Map); and a final treatment group receiving both interventions (Awareness + Street-Level Map). For this study, we produced high-frequency, street-level air pollution data by equipping a small sample of both electric (EV) and non-EV Boda taxi drivers with mobile pollution monitors from July 2025 to January 2026 (Marty et al., 2026). The primary outcomes of interest are the drivers' pollution aversion behaviors. We will also calculate the perceived value drivers place on avoiding pollution by analyzing trip pricing information.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Lee, Narae and Robert Marty. 2026. "Seeing What We Breathe: Experimental Evidence on Air Pollution Information and Motorcycle Taxi Drivers’ Pollution Aversion Behaviors ." AEA RCT Registry. March 10. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.18048-1.0
Sponsors & Partners

Sponsors

Partner

Type
private_company
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
1) Street/time air pollution interactive map
(Potentially in few different forms)
2) General information sharing
Intervention Start Date
2026-05-20
Intervention End Date
2026-08-20

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Driver road behavior change
Cash ride pricing
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Health, Labor, and other indicators
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
A Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) of pollution information and pollution map for different treatment arms.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Lottery in office by a computer
Randomization Unit
Stage points or small units
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
Pilots will be implemented for cluster specification
Sample size: planned number of observations
600
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
150
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
IRB Approval Date
IRB Approval Number